Facebook set to announce revolutionary update

Anticipation is rising after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that new developments on the site would "change the world of social media."

Ahead of his keynote speech at the annual F8 conference in San Francisco, message boards and technology sites have been all aflutter with rumours over what the announcement could entail; with a music streaming or sharing feature emerging as an early favourite.

The announcement came just after Facebook rolled out a restructuring of the news feed that was met with mass criticism from many of its users. However, the changes look set to remain, as just a small part of Facebook's wider ambition is becoming an "entertainment hub," metro.co.uk reports.

Social media marketing firms may be watching the announcement intently, especially following the recent announcement that Facebook is to take over Yahoo! and Google for advertising revenue before the end of the year.

Early rumours of what the music service could entail have claimed that a ticker along the right of the Facebook home screen will allow users to see what music their friends are listening to and listen to the same tracks in real time. It is expected to be called 'listen with a friend'.

Fuelling the rumour, Mashable enthused about the changes: "On Thursday, developers will be elated, users will be shell-shocked and the competition will look ancient. On Thursday, Facebook will be reborn. Prepare yourselves for the evolution of social networking."